EFFECTS OF ARTIFICIAL FOUNDATIONS ON THE BUILD- 

 ING OF HONEY COMB. 



By Clarence P. Gillette, M. Sc, Agricultural Collegte, 

 PtT Collins, Colorado. 



It is about a third of a century since thin sheets of wax 

 were first successfully used to aid honey bees in the" process 

 of comb building. The plane sheet of thin wax that was 

 then employed has undergone a process of evolution until 

 to-day comb foundation may be purchased with a base 

 thinner than that naturally made by the bees and with 

 comb cells extended to fully one-fourth their ordinary length 

 in brood comb. 



The objects in using artificial foundation are many. 

 Perhaps its most important use is to determine the position 

 of the comb in the hive. By its use it is possible to almost 

 prevent the building of drone comb, and the tendency to 

 swarm is lessened in consequence. Without foundation it 

 would hardly be possible to produce a fine quality of comb 

 honey in sections, such as charms the eye and tempts the 

 appetite in store windows in almost every city and town 

 in the land. The use of foundation in brood frames or 

 sections is believed to lessen the expense in food and labor 

 to the bee in building the comb. 



The experiments here reported were undertaken to 

 determine the effect that artificial foundations have upon 

 the amount and quality of wax in the comb and to de- 

 termine to what extent the secretion of wax by bees is 

 economized by furnishing them wax in foundations. 



While it is generally stated that bees use wax from 

 foundations with which to build comb, it was thought best 

 first to determine for a certainty whether or not this is done. 

 At my request Mr. C. B. Elliott of Denver manufactured 

 for me a few sheets of foundation that were made jet black 

 by mixing lampblack into the melted wax. This foundation 

 was used in sections as starters for comb honey. The bees 

 accepted the black foundation as well as any and drew out 



